Pines displays entries from eighth annual art competition

From sculptures of heads to a life-sized martini glass with a city on top, every corner of the Glass Gallery at Pembroke Pines City Hall is stuffed with art.

The gallery is hosting through Nov. 19 entries from the city's eighth annual art competition. Artists, family members, friends and art aficionados packed into the gallery for the exhibit's opening reception and the announcement of winners in the various categories. It features about 180 pieces of art, including paintings, sculptures and photographs, said Benoit Menasche, the city's art curator.

The exhibit features a mix of new artists and ones who have competed in prior years, but Menasche said it was tilted more in favor of the former.

"About 70 percent of the artists were new," he said. "We always have to look for new talent."

One of those new artists is Gabriel Yarborough, of Pembroke Pines. Yarborough created a large painting that features excerpts from the diary entry of a girl dealing with sexual assault.

"I took it from the concept of writing on a paper napkin and spilling all the emotions on fabric at once," she said.

Yarborough was that girl, and the diary chronicled her experiences. Diving back into the diary to paint out the words on a large canvas brought many old memories to the surface.

"I was crying while I was doing it," she said. "It was very emotional."

The painting was the third in a series of four on the subject of sexual assault. Yarborough said her art caused some family members and friends to share their own experiences of sexual assault.

Participating in the contest also was a new experience for North Miami Beach artist Mary Pohlmann, whose paintings won the $500 prize for best in show. Winners in other categories received $200 cash prizes.

Pohlmann submitted three paintings, two of which are part of a series with a young swimmer in various situations. In one, the girl is floating in the water with several otters as a passing school of fish splash water on them. In another, the swimmer is in a forest surrounded by wildlife. The third features a princess surrounded by poisonous frogs in a spin on the fairy tale of "The Frog Prince."

Pohlmann said her inspiration for the swimmer and fairy tale series came from Japanese animation, manga and wood block paintings. Her prize-winning paintings follow a long period where she took a break to experiment and settle on a new art style. Receiving the competition's top award was a welcome bonus.

"It's a great validation of your work," she said.

Next, she's returning to a fairy tale world for a new take on "Mary Had a Little Lamb."

"Everything I do is slightly creepy and humorous," Pohlmann said. "I want to make people think and laugh, or both."

Menasche said winners were picked by a panel of judges who examined submissions in several categories: creativity, originality, workmanship and the X factor of how much they enjoyed the work. Applications were first examined in a juried competition to determine which would be on display in the gallery.

"A lot of people applied, so you have to be very strong," he said.

When the show ends, it'll be replaced by a holiday-themed children's art exhibit that runs from Nov. 21 through Jan. 7. The exhibit is viewable Monday through Thursday at the gallery, 10100 Pines Blvd.